Signs are frequently used to display prominently the prices being currently charged for products, especially for gasoline, diesel fuel, and the like at service stations, as well as for fresh fruit and vegetables, milk, and other staple food products often sold at roadside stands. Such signs use figures of a large enough size to be easily read at a distance by motorists, thus to attract them to stop and make purchases. Previously, such signs have frequently utilized separate figures, made, for example, of solid black plastic sheet material cut to the shape of individual digits, with each digit being mounted against a white background which may be internally illuminated to make the sign readable at night. Changes in the prices displayed by such signs require removal of one digit and its replacement by another different digit. Therefore, for prices up to and including nine dollars, ninety nine cents ($9.99), twenty-nine separate numeral characters are required in order to be able to display each possible price, and as many separate characters are required to be available for each price which is to be displayed. Such numeral characters, usually made of rigid plastic sheet material, are breakable and subject to being broken, either by being blown off the sign and breaking upon impact with the ground, or as a result of being dropped while numbers are being changed. Once broken, a numeral must be replaced. As a result, spare numerals must be kept on hand, at greater expense and requiring more storage space.
In the case of large signs, where individual numeral characters are a meter or more in height, it is difficult to handle the individual numeral characters, particularly in windy conditions, and it is therefore difficult to revise the displayed prices for goods using such numerals.
Electrically controlled multi-element illuminated signs have become available in recent years, and are convenient to use. Such signs, however, are very expensive, to build, operate and maintain. Except for locations atop tall poles along major highways, where prices must be seen at a great distance in order to attract motorists to leave the highway, such signs are too expensive to be practical. Accordingly, what is needed is an easily revised price display sign which is attractive in appearance, is much less costly than such electrically controllable illuminated signs, and which does not require the maintenance and storage of a large number of numeral characters which take up a relatively large amount of space while they are not in use.